Kinder Scout Walk From Edale (via Grindsbrook Clough) | 8-Mile Route

If you’re looking for one of the great Peak District routes, then the Kinder Scout walk from Edale has to be up there with the best!

Kinder Scout is the highest point in the Peak District National Park at 636 metres. But the area of Kinder Plateau, which is mainly moorland, can be reached from many different directions.

The beautiful village of Edale is a popular place to hike from. It’s nestled in the Hope Valley between Kinder Scout and the Great Ridge from Mam Tor to Lose Hill, so you can see why it’s a busy spot!

This Edale walk starts with a small scramble via Grindsbrook Clough to Kinder, one of my favourites routes up to the plateau. Although you don’t reach the exact summit of Kinder Scout (which is not that exciting anyway!), the walk takes you along the Kinder Plateau with beautiful views of the Dark Peak area.

After walking along the edge of the Kinder Plateau past numerous unusual rocks formations, including Crowden Tower. You  can then complete your circular walk by heading back down Jacob’s Ladder via the Pennine Way path back into Edale. Where you can finish your walk in one of Edale’s two pubs (if you want!)

Here you will find details on how to get to the start of the walk at Edale, parking, route information, map, GPX file, plus a detailed step by step guide of the Kinder Scout walk.

Let me know in the comments if you’ve done this hike from Edale and what you think!

Buy a printable/downloadable PDF route guide for the walk here.

Kinder Scout walk from Edale

gpx file

Kinder Scout from Edale walk map

© Crown copyright and database rights (2024) OS 002572460

Walk start point

Start grid reference: SK 124 853

Car parking address: Edale car park, Edale, Hope Valley, S33 7ZQ

Edale can be a very popular place to visit in the summer months and weekends. If the Edale village car park is full there is an overflow car park a short distance away is available.

Parking cost (cash only)*

• 1 hour – £1.60
• 2 hours – £2.50
• 4 hours – £5.00
• 10 hours – £6.00
• 24 hours – £7.00

*Prices correct at time of writing.

You can also use the PaybyPhone option either call or use the App to pay for parking, there are numerous other Peak District car parks that use this so its worth downloading the App. (The one with 9 green squares logo). The code location for Edale is 806749.

Public transport

Nearest train station: Edale train station (opposite the start location at the car park)

Facilities on the walk

There are public toilets available at the start of the walk at Edale car park. However, there are no other toilets anywhere else on the walk.

Edale has great facilities for the beginning and end of your walk. There are two pubs that serve food (Ramblers Inn and Nags Head), a great cafe next to the train station and further shops down the other end of the village.

Water on your walk – I recommend a filter water bottle for your Peak District walks, it saves you carrying extra weight and you can fill up safely and drink water from the streams on your walk.

Other useful information

• Hiking from Edale is popular for walkers, so if you can plan your visit for mid-week or even the winter months it will be quieter.
• This route includes a short scramble section up Grindsbrook, it’s not technical but if you’re unsure please ask me any questions in the comments below.
• The Kinder Scout walk is a popular hike, especially the route down via Jacob’s Ladder. However, there are some areas on the plateau where you can easily go the wrong way in poor weather (see photos of Grindsbrook in the snow).
• On the walk, there are many flagstone paths and good trails but there are some muddy/peaty sections up on Kinder Scout plateau.
• I would always recommend you take a map and compass (see below).

Please make sure you’re wearing the correct footwear for hiking – if you don’t have any hiking boots or shoes yet Cotswold Outdoor have a fab range and you can often find a few bargains in their clearance footwear range.

Fancy a quieter route up Kinder Scout? You might like this option from Snake Pass up Fairbrook path

Kinder Scout patch

An iconic view of the packhorse bridge at Jacob's Ladder on the way up to Kinder Scout summit.

Celebrate reaching the highest point in the Peak District with our second charity patch.

Or if you are planning on doing the walk soon, order the patch now so you can take it to the top for a photo.

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Kinder Scout Patch

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Peak District Weather

The weather can vary widely from Edale to the top of the hills so please check the conditions and make sure you have warm clothes/waterproofs if necessary.

• BBC Weather for Edale
• Met Office weather for the Peak District
• Met Office weather and/or MWIS (Mountain weather information service) for the Peak District

Ordnance Survey Walk Map

The map for the Kinder Scout walk is OL1 – Peak District (Dark Peak Area)

View the different prices here with Ordnance Survey or Amazon. If you’re hiking in all weathers the Active OS maps are good to have as they are laminated so better on rainy days.

See both maps that cover the Peak District here.

And don’t forget your compass, I recommend the Silva Expedition or the Silva Classic compass.

For online maps, I recommend OS Online App (I have been using for many years and it is worth getting if you want to start walking more). Check prices here for the one month or annual option with OS Online App. All the walks on the website are created using OS Maps Online + you can download them to the OS Maps App.

Want to learn more map skills? Check out our Guided Walks with map reading skills here.

Check prices here for the one month or yearly option with OS Online App. 

Want to read later? Save the walk to Pinterest

Kinder Scout walk (via Grindsbrook) from Edale route

Stage 1 – Edale to Kinder Scout via Grindsbrook Clough

Distance: 2.2 miles/3.5 km

Grid reference SK 124 853

From Edale car park, go down the steps next to the toilets and turn right onto the road. Follow the road past the station and the Peak District Information Centre. Walk all the way to the opposite end of the village to the Nags Head pub.

At the pub, continue down the road, past a cottage on your left, then look for a signpost on the left. Go down the steps and across the narrow wooden bridge and up the steps on the other side.

Follow the flagstone path for about 800 metres, to the small wooded area, through the gate then across a cute wooden bridge. From here, walk up the track as it gradually inclines, running parallel to Grindsbrook Clough for about 1 km.

After 1 km, the track then disappears into a rockier route, you need to cross backwards and forwards over the clough and find the best route up to Kinder Scout.

The last section of the climb to Kinder Scout is the toughest, continue following Grindsbrook Clough up the steep section.

There will be a small amount of scrambling required for this part of the walk. Once you reach the top, you will see a large cairn made out of stones marking the top of Kinder Scout plateau.

Stage 2 – Kinder Scout to Noe Stool (on Kinder Scout)

Distance: 1.5 mile/2.5 km

Grid reference SK 105 872

From the top of Grindsbrook Clough, take the path on the left, following the flagstones heading in an westerly direction for 1 km. To your right is the Kinder Scout plateau and to the left, you can see views down to Crowden Clough.

The path then reaches the top of Crowden Clough, from here you need to cross the clough. In heavy rain, the clough may be flowing hard so waterproof boots are a good idea for this walk.

Once you’ve crossed the clough, take the path leading up to Crowden Tower, a huge rock formation, worth stopping to admire the views.

From Crowden Tower, for the next 1 km, you need to make your way around via the rocks known as ‘Wool Packs’, this section of the path is peaty and can be difficult to navigate across the Kinder plateau, especially when bad weather comes in.

You’ll then reach a large rock called Noe Stool. From here, on a clear day, you can look across the Edale Rocks.

Extend the walk – You can add a short out and back loop on to Kinder Low and Kinder Downfall, worth doing if you have time or you can do a longer loop including Kinder Reservoir too.

Stage 3 – Noe Stool to Jacob’s Ladder

Distance: 1.3 miles/2 km

Grid reference SK 083 869

From the rock at Noe Stool, walk down the path towards another stone cairn. On your right, as you walk down the path you will see Edale Rocks, at the point you reach the cairn you will join the Pennine Way national trail.

Follow the path past Swine’s Back hill on your right then as you reach the track, turn left, following the Pennine Way path.

The rocky track gradually descends until you reach the top of Jacob’s Ladder, where you’ll see a sign and a large stone cairn.

Follow the path down to the left, as it descends steeply via large steps, all the way to a beautiful old bridge at the bottom of Jacob’s Ladder.

For Pennine Way walkers, Jacob’s Ladder is the first challenge that greets them on the 268-mile route!

Stage 4 – Jacob’s Ladder to Edale

Distance: 3 miles/5 km

Grid reference SK 088 861

At the bottom of Jacob’s Ladder, go through the gate then follow the path. The track takes you alongside fields on one side and a small wooded area on your right, before reaching a gate with a short row of houses and a small shelter.

Continue all the way until you reach Upper Booth and at the phone box turn left following the path through the farm. Once through the farm, turn left, ignoring the first footpath directly in front and take the second footpath through a small gate, heading east along a track.

Walk down the path, until you reach another small gate, then across a field heading slightly uphill over a small hill. You’ll walk along the path, going through two more gates before entering a couple of fields, normally full of sheep.

Then turn right through a gate leading down a narrow track next to a stream all the way until you’re back at the Old Nag’s Head.

Turn left and your back on the street that leads to the start of the walk at Edale car park. Or you could pop into one of the pubs for refreshments!

Do you have any more questions about the Kinder Scout walk from Edale? Ask me in the comments below.

More walks in the Peak District

Here are a couple more routes from Edale

• Grindslow Knoll (via Ringing Roger) Walk From Edale | 5.5-Mile Route
• Grindslow Knoll (via Grindsbrook Clough) Short Walk from Edale | 4-Mile Route
• Mam Tor Via Jacob’s Ladder Walk From Edale | 10-Mile Route

Or how about try this different Kinder Scout walk which explores the north side of the plateau and is a much quieter route

• Kinder Scout Walk (via Fairbrook) From Snake Pass | 8-Mile Route

Love the walks in the Dark Peak Area of the Peak District? You might like these Peak District circular walks.

• Lose Hill walk from Castleton
• Edale Skyline Walk From Hope | 20-Mile Route (Ultimate Peak District Challenge)
• Rushup Edge + Mam Tor Walk From Barber Booth | 6-Mile Route

Have you done this Kinder Scout walk from Edale, let me know any feedback in the comments?

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